Card Games on Ponies
by Eolo
Summary: Duel Monsters is a popular game, played all over Equestria. From the highest stratum of Canterlot to the humble community of Ponyville. For most ponies it's a nice little hobby, for others it's something more...serious.
1. Chapter 1

Spike looked at the building in front of him: a two-story house with timber frames and a thatched roof. It would have been practically indistinguishable from most other buildings on Ponyville, save for a large, golden frame in the shape of an eye right above the front door. For a lot of ponies it was slightly unsettling; for Spike it was the definition of awesome.

Inside he was greeted with a rather modest setting: a dozen of square tables separated in two rows of six, leaving a path between them, and each with two chairs. Richly detailed posters depicting all sorts of creatures, from beasts and automatons to angels and demons, including those mythical humans, adorned nearly every inch of the walls. Finally, a registry on the back left corner, behind it a large shelf occupied with books, pamphlets and, most importantly, boxes filled with trading cards; for this was Ponyville's one and only card shop: the Millennium Mausoleum.

 _"Pity the name is not showing on the front,"_ thought Spike. _"It would make this place look even more awesome. Or get the Royal Guard called. Whatever"_

When not assisting Twilight, Rarity or anypony else, this was the baby dragon's favorite place. A place where everypony could gather to play "Duel Monsters" regardless of their age, gender or race. A place filled with laughs, cheers and joy. Or at least until today, were it stood completely empty, save for a white unicorn stallion lying on the ground, eyes closed.

"Whoa," cried Spike as he quickly approached the seemingly passed out pony, placed a tiny claw on his shoulder and gave him a light shook. "Are you okay, dude? What happened?"

"Strong…" muttered the stallion.

"What?"

"He's…too strong…"

"Who are you talking about? Hey! Open your eyes," said Spike as he shook the stallion harder. There was a moment of silence before he opened his eyes and frowned.

"Look, kid, are you going to the back or not? I can't lie on the floor all day!"

Spike raised his hands, slowly backed away from the stern looking stallion, still lying on the floor, and headed towards the back door. He quickly threw a glance behind him and saw the stallion closing his eyes and start muttering "strong" again.

"The back", as it was known among the shop's clientele, was an open grassy area behind the building surrounded by a small wooden fence forming a square shape. Inside there was a circle made of uniform, polished black stones, each carved with different kinds of arcane runes. This was the main reason of the game's popularity: a Dueling Arena. These monuments absorbed the magical energy on the atmosphere and focused it to project an illusion of every card played inside them, effectively "bringing the game to life". In urbanized areas like Canterlot and Manehattan, they had to be strategically placed over leylines, but in rural areas like Ponyville, with a near source of abundant untamed magic like the Everfree Forest, they could be set anywhere.

As the baby dragon took a step outside he was greeted by an even more bewildering sight: trading cards scattered everywhere, colts hunched over and barely holding back their tears, fillies crying in the embrace of mares, mares crying in the embrace of fillies, stallions lying on the ground, trembling like dried leaves with eyes wide open like if they had been witnesses of a third coming of Nightmare Moon. Their collective sobs, moans and mutterings filled the air in a cacophony of despair.

"Invincible…"

"…Such power…"

"Legendary…"

"…So scared…"

"…He's not human…"

"Of course not, he's a pony"

"It was a fragment of speech, jackass"

Spike blinked twice and slowly made his way, careful to avoid stepping on cards, manes, tails and a few puddles here and there, towards the only seemingly calm pony: a green coated unicorn stallion with a darker mane and a cutie mark of a notebook, wearing a black shirt with the logo of the shop on it.

"Hey Mulligan," said Spike while waving his tiny claw.

"Spike," replied the stallion without taking his eyes away from the horizon. "You should not have come here…"

"Uh, well, there was this guy at the door-"

"He's simply too strong for us…"

"Oookay…I don't-"

"His deck is far beyond what we, Ponyvillians, could ever hope to assemble…"

"Now wait a minute," said Spike, irritation evident in his voice. "Is this because you all lost in a card game?"

Mulligan suddenly turned around. "Card games are serious business, Spike"

The baby dragon raised an eyebrow.

"W-Well, they are for me," said Mulligan sheepishly. "I mean, it's my main mean of living."

"Right," said Spike with a sigh. "Now where's this "so strong" duelist you all keep muttering about?"

Mulligan raised a hoof and pointed towards the center of the Dueling Arena. And for the first time since arriving here today, Spike felt all of his confusion, bewilderment and annoyance being replaced by a single, clear emotion: anger. That expensive looking suit, that long blonde mane, those clear blue eyes and that insufferable smile. Dragons were known for keeping grudges, and while Spike considered himself above the more feral members of his race, this was a pony he simply could not forgive or forget. Not until he saw him stripped bare of his meaningless titles and worldly possessions, and dragged through mud, rocks and thorns while begging to be forgiven for the transgression of besmirching the honor of—

"Spike!"

The baby dragon shook his head. "What?!"

Mulligan gave a small smile. "Just wanted to check in you were still with us"

"Uh, yeah," muttered Spike before composing himself. "I am. And I will take him on."

"Don't do it," said Mulligan, returning to his previous grim demeanor. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Spike waved his claw. "Pfft, he's just a pompous jerk."

Mulligan shook his head. "No—well, yes, but that's not what i'm talking about. He's—"

"Is there anypony else here who wishes to face Prince Blueblood of the Blue Eyes?!"

The commanding voice was like the crack of a whip that brought everypony to silence. Blueblood looked around him, satisfied by his previous opponents averting their gaze or simply leaving the premises with their heads nearly touching the ground. "And here I was hoping for a challenge! How naive of me to expect-"

"I'll duel you!"

Blueblood quickly turned towards the source of the voice. "Ah-ha! A brave one! Or should I say a foolish one?! Reveal yourself so I can crush you!"

"I'm here!"

"Where?! Stop hiding!"

"Down here."

Blueblood looked down to see Spike, barely reaching his chest, glaring at him. There was a moment of silence before the prince raised his head and looked at the crowd. "Has anypony lost a pet here?!"

"Very funny," said Spike through gritted teeth. "Do you accept?"

"Of course," said Blueblood with a smirk.

Both duelists stepped away from each other. Spike set down his backpack and took out his Duel Disk, a small, white artifact shaped like half a circle, engraved with the same runes as the Dueling Arena and with slots for his deck, graveyard and individual cards, and strapped it to his left arm. In front of him, Blueblood did the same with his custom-ordered, gold-plated, jewel-encrusted, imported-from-Saddle Arabia-perfume-releasing-every-thiry-seconds-mechanism Duel Disk, adjusting it around his neck.

"DUEL!"

At their declaration, the stones around them glowed with a blue light, the two behind each player displaying the four thousand life points each one had, and a faint purple miasma spread across the field.

"I'll go first," said Spike. He looked at the five cards in his hand, picked one and placed it on the disk. "Summon Red-Eyes Black Chick!" The miasma gathered in front of him and formed a cloud from which emerged a small, fragile looking, black baby dragon (800/500). "Special summon! Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Spike continued and, in the blink of an eye, the black chick was engulfed in a pyre from which emerged its adult form: a ferocious looking, large winged dragon with scales sharp as blades and black as the night sky; it looked at Blueblood with its crimson eyes and let out a earth-shaking roar (2400/2000). "Turn end"

Blueblood yawned. "My turn. Draw," he said as he took a card from his deck using his magic and looked at it. "Well now, I almost feel bad for doing this," he said with a smirk. "Almost."

Rarity, propietor of the prestigious Carousel Boutique, Canterlot's rising fashion entrepeneur and ten years practitioner of mixed martial arts (not that she would ever make this last little fact public), had a feeling. It was like a distant sound, the kind that makes you turn your head and stand still while trying to figure it out. She had this feeling before, when Opal was about to spit a hairball on her sofa, when Sweetie Belle was about to use the oven and when a button was about to fall from one of her dresses. Just as she was considering the possibilities, a pillar of light erupted from a few houses away. She decided it was enough of a sign, quickly picked up her shopping bags and ran out of Ponyville's Market, towards the sudden phenomenon.

"So strong," muttered Spike as he stood with both claws and knees on the ground, his cards scattered around him.

"Yes, I often get told that," said Blueblood as he idly checked his right hoof for imperfections.

Mulligan sighed as he approached Spike and placed a hoof on his shoulder "That's what I wanted to tell you: he's Blueblood of the Blue Eyes, one of the best twenty duelists in Equestria."

"And that's why there's no shame in losing with me," said Blueblood. "In fact, you should be happy you've got something to boast about to your friends. Think about it," he waved a hoof in front of him like if he was admiring a large glowing sign. "I got my little lizard rear kicked by the Prince of the Blue Eyes! I'll tell you what: I'll even sign you an autograph!"

Spike could feel the tears swelling on his eyes as Blueblood laughed. Just then, a voice cut through the laughter like a diamond through glass. "Enough." And he saw her: standing tall and proud, her immaculate white coat shimmering under the sun, purple mane curling like a cascade on a warm spring afternoon and eyes glistening like sapphires. Those eyes filled with mercy and love that told him "everything is going to be okay" as her magic picked up his cards, neatly piling them and putting them back on his duel disk. Truly she may not have had wings, but no other pony embodied the very concept of royal—

"You're the witch that ruined my mane!"

Rarity swiftly turned around to face Blueblood. "And you are that prototype of a prince who wouldn't know "royal" if the entire palace fell on top of him!"

"Guys…"

"How dare you, you uncultured barbarian!"

"Guys"

"Better than a spoiled brat!"

"Guys!"

"WHAT?!" yelled both, Rarity and Prince Blueblood, simultaneously.

"I-In this store we have rules," informed Mulligan, while shielding himself behind an awkward looking Spike, before pointing towards a sign nailed on the wooden fence.

"But I don't have any black magical ancient artifacts with me," protested Rarity.

"I think he's talking about the next one on the list," softly said Spike.

Rarity turned her head.

"No conflicts whatsoever beyond dueling."

"Oh"

"It's settled then," said Blueblood with a smirk. "We'll resolve this by means of a duel like civilized equines," his expression turned sour. "Unless you've got some cake with you to throw"

Rarity gave a loud "hmph" and both ponies went to take their place of the arena.

"Rarity, don't do it," cried Spike as she placed both of his tiny claws over her chest. "He's one of the twenty best duelists in all of Equestria and one-turn-killed me and-and it's just words—the stream takes them away—or was it the wind? Look, the important thing is that it's not worth it!"

Rarity softly placed a hoof over Spike's head. "Ponies like him thrive because nopony else puts them in their place, Spike. I'm not going to let him insult me and much less you, okay?" she smiled. "Now be a dear and take my shopping bags outside the arena, yes?"

With just a nod, Spike did as he was told and took his place next to Mulligan. The crowd of defeated ponies gathered around them, quietly observing the two unicorns facing each other.

"So," started Mulligan. "Is your friend any good?"

Spike scratched the back of his head. "Well…"

 _"Then you can use Polymerization to fuse Gem-Knight Obsidian and Gem-Knight Tourmaline to summon Gem-Knight Topaz!"_

 _"Heavens, Spike! Tourmalines and obsidians on the same ensemble? That's positively dreadful!"_

 _"But…they're just cards"_

 _"Tut-tut, perfection is not an act but an habit, Spike"_

"She…knows the rules, alright"

The monument glowed intensely as both players drew their five cards.

"Ladies," began Blueblood. "And creatures masquerading as ones, first"

Rarity did not reply, but merely twirled her head, causing her mane to move and cover her right eye. She picked a card with her magic from her hand and placed it on the duel disk around her neck, one with a standard design but in a beautiful turquoise color. "I summon Battlin' Boxer Headgeared," with her words a humanoid automaton appeared before her: it was pitch black and wore red boots, boxing gloves and a headgear; its eyes glowed crimson as it threw a couple of swift jabs to the air. (1000/1800) "By it's effect I can send one Battlin' Boxer from my deck to my graveyard," she took a card out of her deck and placed it on the graveyard slot, the auto-shuffle function of the duel disk taking care of the rest. "I end my turn"

Spike stared in confusion. "That's…"

Blueblood cringed as if he had seen a cockroach. "Draw," he swiftly took a card from his deck. "I summon Lord of D." A dark skinned man, clad in an armor made of dragon bones and wearing a long, dark blue cape materialized on the field (1200/1100). "Activate White Dragon Ritual!" It raised both hands in the air and let out a scream as a pilar of light engulfed him from below, leaving a young knight in his place, wearing a golden armor and riding a beautiful white dragon (1900/1200). "My Paladin of White Dragon," said Blueblood. "I can sacrifice him to special summon the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon directly from my deck!" The miasma on the arena swirled, crackling with lightning and enveloped the paladin before exploding to reveal a new form. "Behold the monster that gave me my title!" The majestic winged dragon shined under the sun like a sword destined to be wielded only by a king and let out a roar that made the crowd tremble (3000/2500). "But it's not over yet! I play Polymerization to fuse it with the dragons on my hand!" The monument glowed and the miasma swirled to form a tornado which swallowed both, monsters and duelists. "This is it! The strongest! The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The miasma dissipated and Blueblood looked at the dragon like a proud parent to his child. It was larger than Sugarcube Corner and its three heads looked like they could devour half of Ponyville's population in one swoop (4500/3800).

Rarity looked impassively.

"Oh, but where are my manners," said Blueblood with a chuckle. "My dear dragon, could you please vaporize that vermin?" He raised a hoof then suddenly brought it down. "With your ULTIMATE BURST STREAM!" At the command of his master the dragon's three heads opened their jaws, energy accumulating inside their mouths like an upcoming thunderstorm, and fired a torrent of pure energy at Rarity's monster, the resulting explosion kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the view inside the arena.

"Rarity!" screamed Spike as the memories of his own defeat came back.

But, as the view cleared, they all watched in surprise how not only Rarity's monster was unharmed, a second one, a crimson humanoid automaton holding a golden shield, stood next to it (0/1800).

"Once per turn my Headgeared in attack position cannot be destroyed in battle," calmly informed Rarity. "And since I took battle damage I can special summon Battlin' Boxer Veil and immediately recover all the life points I lost." Her counter automatically went from five hundred back to four thousand life points.

There was a collective "ooohh" among the ponies in the crowd, a few of them even cheered and whistled.

"Hey! Your friend seems she knows what's she's doing," said Mulligan with a smile.

"Yes," mumbled Spike. "Yes, she is! Go Rarity!"

Blueblood gritted his teeth. "I swear they're like cockroaches. Fine! Go ahead and play," he said waving his hoof dismissively. "I'll finish this on my next turn"

"There won't be a next turn!" declared Rarity with a sudden fierceness that made Blueblood, Spike and several other ponies in the audience jump. "Draw!" The card was practically rocketed out of her deck by her magic. "I use my two monsters to build an Overlay Network!" The miasma swirled into the shape of a whirlpool and both of her creatures glowed, their bodies turning into streams of light, before being absorbed. "XYZ Summon! Come forth my bound barbarian! Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" The monster that emerged was easily twice the size of her previous ones, much more human in appearance, with muscles that gave the impression it could rip apart an apple tree with its bare hands. It wore black leather sandals and a skirt of the same color and material, its face concealed by a metal helmet, save for its glowing red eyes. But the most impressive thing was the huge wooden beam secured around his back, neck and arms by means of large black steel chains (2200/2000).

Blueblood put a hoof to his mouth, as if trying not to puke. "I must say if you're trying to disgust me into submission, then you're doing a remarkable effort!"

Spike watched hypnotized as Rarity picked up a card from her hand. If he had to judge from the look on her eyes alone, he could swear she was in the middle of an actual fight. "Next, the spell card Oni-Gami Combo!" The bound barbarian's muscles tensed, there was a cracking noise and, with a single movement, he broke free of his chains and snapped the yoke on his back in two, standing on his full height (3800/2000). It wasn't as impressive as the Blue-eyes Ultimate Dragon, sure, but it certainly wasn't a creature any of the ponies in the crowd would've liked to meet alone on a dark alley. "By removing two materials from one of my xyz monsters it can make a second attack," she informed. "And whenever a material is removed from my Lead Yoke it gains an extra eight hundred attack points!" Rarity stood up on her hind legs and pointed her right hoof forward. "Go my bound barbarian! Take down that dragon with your DEMON GOD BARRAGE!" At her words the Lead Yoke charged towards the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and punched the beast right on the middle of its chest.

"You fool!" said Blueblood. "Do you honestly believe that will accomplish-"

A loud craking noise echoed.

"…something?"

Blueblood watched in horror as the bound barbarian kept attacking, each punch breaking more and more of the dragon's scales. Its three heads contorted, hacking and coughing with their tongues out, before letting out a pitiful cry and vanishing like smoke. "My dragon," muttered Blueblood as his life points went down to three thousand seven hundred. "How…?"

Rarity gave a toothy smile. "Battlin' Boxer Counterpuch," she said as she held up a monster card. "By removing it from the graveyard I can increase the attack points of one of my Battlin' Boxers by a thousand points until the end of the turn"

"Your graveyard?!" cried Blueblood. "But when did," his voice fell as his eyes widened in realization.

"Precisely," whispered Rarity and pointed her right hoof forward towards the prince. "Finish him off! LIGHTNING FAST!"

Time seemed to slow down as the Lead Yoke threw a punch straight to Blueblood's face. It connected with his muzzle, sending his head back, his legs above the ground and then his whole body flying out the arena, way past over the wooden fence and landing over a pile of leaves.

"OW! MY BACK!"

The miasma that covered the arena disappeared as the stones stopped glowing.

Silence.

"She won!" cried Spike while throwing his arms up.

The crowd of ponies immediately exploded in a chorus of cheers, whistles and stomps.

"I can't believe it," muttered Mulligan.

Rarity exhaled and adjusted her mane to its usual position.

"Rarity!" called Spike as he ran next to her. "T-That was—that was-"

"Crude, darling, I know. But, sometimes, a lady has to get her hoves dirty"

"No—yes—I mean—it was awesome! You totally trounced him! One of the best twenty duelists in Equestria! It's almost incredible—not saying I didn't believe you couldn't do it—even if I asked you don't—because I know you're amazing and-"

Rarity lightly booped Spike on the nose. "Thank you, Spike"

A noticeable blush appeared across the baby dragon's cheeks. "Heh, it was nothing—say, how did you get so good?"

Rarity giggled. "Ah, remember my trip to Manehattan six months ago? When I assisted that seminar hosted by the House of Outrageous and Opulent Fashion?"

"Uhh…"

"It's over, Twilight! She's not coming back!"

"Heavens, Spike! She said she was going for two weeks! And it's been only two hours!"

"Y-yes, yes I do."

"Well, during my spare time I took the opportunity to do some shopping, of course, and I found out the city is filled to the brim with card shops which periodically hold tournaments with prize money," Rarity explained enthusiastically. "You know how difficult being an independent businessmare can be sometimes, and since having some extra bits never hurts, I decided to buy some new cards, learn a few strategies, and try my hoof at playing professionally," a sheepish smile formed across her face. "Let's just say I was too focused on the monetary gain to pay attention to rankings and, before I realized, I had become-"

"Burning Knuckler Rareza!"

Author's note: I'm aware Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke should only have got an increase of 800 ATK points from Oni-Gami Combo and not 1600 ATK. Consider it a small liberty for the sake of storytelling.


	2. Chapter 2

The voice coming from above was quickly followed by a rainbow blur landing right next to the baby dragon and the white unicorn, making them jump on their toes and hooves respectively. Rainbow "Danger" "Professionalism" "Maylene" "I Swear You Tell Anypony And I'll Dump Your Head Inside A Thundercloud" Dash, weather team captain and member of the Wonderbolts reserve team, approached them with her characteristically cocky smile.

"Ha! I can't believe you of all ponies would turn out to be the fourth-"

Rarity put a hoof over the cerulean mare's mouth and glanced towards the crowd. After the defeat of Blueblood, the mood had improved substantially and everypony was back to enjoying the game; Mulligan, for his part, was too busy dispensing advice to the younger duelists.

"I would appreciate if you could keep your voice down, Rainbow Dash. Not everypony is looking to bring attention to their dueling careers."

Rainbow Dash removed her friend's hoof from her mouth and spat. "Yeah? Maybe you should have thought about that before doing a one-turn-kill on the Blue-Eyes Buffon back there," she pointed her hoof behind her.

"I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!"

"Oh, pish posh. He's ranked number twenty; anypony with decent skills could have done that," said Rarity while waving a hoof.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Eh, guess you have a point there. Still, I almost didn't recognize you without your dueling ensemble," she accompained the last two words with a roguish grin that made Rarity's cheeks turn pink.

"Girls, girls," said Spike while waving his tiny claws over his head. "Is anypony going to tell me what's going on?"

"Heh, sorry Spike," said Rainbow Dash with a chuckle. "See, turns out our friend here," she nodded her head towards Rarity. "Is the number four best duelist in all of Equestria; going by the nickname Burning Knuckler Rareza, dying her mane and tail black, using hazel colored contact lenses and wearing a long red coat to take part in tournaments."

Spike blinked twice and looked at the flustered Rarity. He made a mental note to get pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

"Yes, well," said Rarity before clearing her throat. "I am a lady first and foremost, and while having a hobby is nothing to be ashamed of, I'm afraid it wouldn't be fitting of moi to openly play with cards depicting brawlers that solve every problem by striking it into oblivion," she finished by lifting her nose up and adjusting her mane.

Spike smiled awkwardly and looked at Rainbow Dash who merely rolled her eyes.

"Say," the baby dragon began. "Have you played in tournaments too, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash grinned. "That's _Biting Gale Dash_ for you, chump."

Spike's mouth fell. "Wait, don't tell me-"

"Yep," she casually polished her right hoof on her chest and looked at it. "I'm ranked number two in all of Equestria."

"For now."

Rainbow Dash ears perked up and she looked at Rarity, who was gazing somewhere in the sky, but with a barely disguised smirk across her lips.

"Is that a challenge?" asked the cerulean pegasus.

"Of course not, darling," said the white unicorn casually. "Just a simple observation."

"Oh?" Rainbow Dash approached Rarity until they were face to face. "In that case, I'm sure you wouldn't mind backing that up with a little duel right here, right now, will you?"

Rarity tilted her head to look at the busy crowd of ponies.

"Forget about them," said Rainbow Dash as she used her right hoof to move Rarity's head to face her alone again. "They already saw your skills and I bet you and I could come up with a much better show than that guy lying out there."

"THE PAIN! THE PAIN!"

"I-It was the heat of the moment-"

"Come on, Rares," continued Rainbow Dash while poking Rarity on the chest. "You gotta loose up and live a little, open the lid and let the steam come out; that's why you got into this game, didn't you? I saw your whole duel; you haven't smiled like that since we faced that army of Changelings back on Canterlot."

Rarity's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I can be observant when I want, you know," chuckled Rainbow Dash "So, what do you say?"

Rarity bit her lips for a second before composing herself. "Very well, we shall duel."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Hey Mulligan!"

The green unicorn lifted his head from among the crowd. "Yeah?"

"We're gonna use the arena for a while, okay?!"

"Sure!" he waved his hoof and went back to explaining how Mystical Space Typhoon doesn't negate spell and traps.

Spike quickly took his spot outside the arena as both mares set themselves up. Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings, revealing a jet black duel disk which she adjusted around her neck. For her part, Rarity did a quick tilt of her head so that her mane went back to cover her right eye.

"You know," said Rainbow Dash with a smile and a slight nod. "I really like when you do that."

Rarity smiled coyly.

"DUEL!"

The monument glowed, this time with a fierce purple light, once again filling the arena with thick clouds of miasma.

"I'll go first," declared Rarity. "I summon Battlin' Boxer Headgeared!" The mechanized pugilist materialized on the field and threw a few punches, followed by Rarity taking a card from her deck and placing it on her graveyard (1000/1800). "Next, I special summon Battlin' Boxer Sparrer!" A humanoid automaton, much like the previous, appeared adopting a fighting stance. It was colored grey, with glowing cerulean eyes and wore a red strike shield on each arm (1200/1400).

"Not bad," commented Mulligan as he sat down next to Spike, followed by several of the ponies present. "Since she cannot attack on her first turn, the Sparrer won't cost her anything."

Spike nodded.

"Now I build an overlay network! XYZ summon!" The miasma engulfed the two boxers. "Answer the call of your empress to crush those who dare to oppose her! Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" The bound barbarian appeared taking firm steps despite the monumental weight over its shoulders (2200/2000). Rarity smirked. "Your turn, darling."

Rainbow Dash's grin was almost feral. "Draw!" she shouted, pulling the top card from her deck with such strenght it whipped a gust of wind. "I summon Hammer Shark!" A large blue shark, with a literal head of a hammer for a head, leaped from the miasma as it was the very sea (1700/1500). "That's not all! I can lower its level by one to special summon a level three or lower water monster from my hand!" Rainbow Dash took a card from her hand and slammed it over her duel disk. "Big Jaws!" Another shark jumped out; its jaws, coated in steel, had fangs so large it had to remain open (1800/300).

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. "I take this is why they call you "Biting Gale"?"

Rainbow Dash did a playful biting motion. "Watch as I build an overlay network! XYZ summon!" The sharks leaped back into the miasma. "Rise from the depths and swallow my enemies whole! Number 47: Nightmare Shark!" The new monster was undoubtely a shark, but its back fins were so disproportionately large they had become wings, same with the frontal ones, which looked more like arms with blades (2000/2000). "By detaching an XYZ material from it I can make a water monster of mine attack directly," she chuckled. "I hope you don't mind I take a shortcut! DEPTH HUNTING!"

Rarity watched in disbelief as the Nightmare Shark dove into the miasma and charged towards her, with only its dorsal fin, displaying a number forty seven in bold red, visible. Right before clashing with her monster, it disappeared completely, and a mere second later its long, whip-like tail surfaced and slapped her, sending her body tumbling back and reducing her life points to two thousand.

"She went around Lead Yoke's defense to attack directly!" cried Mulligan.

"We know, dude; we can see it," drily said a stallion from the crowd.

Spike merely continued to watch in awed silence.

"I set a card face-down and done," declared Rainbow Dash. "Need a hoof there, Rares?"

Lying on her back, Rarity raised her hind legs and flipped forwards, standing on two legs for a moment before going back on her fours. She cracked her neck loudly and glared at Rainbow Dash. "My burning hooves will break your bones!" she shouted.

Rainbow Dash laughed. "Try it, filly!"

"Draw!" shouted Rarity as her magic pulled out a card from her deck with such intensity her horn produced a blinding flash. "Break free, my bound barbarian! Oni Gami Combo!" The Lead Yoke roared and shattered its bounds with a single swing of its might arms (3800/2000). "Still not enough! I remove Counterpunch from my graveyard!" The barbarian's muscles stiffened and Rarity pointed her right hoof forward (4800/2000). "Go! DEMON GOD BARRAGE!"

"P-Ponyfeathers," muttered Rainbow Dash and hurriedly pressed a button on her duel disk."Trap card open! Poseidon Wave!"

A wall of water erupted between the two monsters and blocked the bound barbarian's attack. From the sides, two streams emerged, taking the shape of giant hands, and launched themselves towards Rarity, leaving her completely drenched and taking away eight hundred of her life points, with only one thousand two hundred remaining.

"I'm not done yet!" roared Rarity. "Lead Yoke, charge and destroy her monster! LIGHTNING FAST!" The barbarian teared through the wall of water as if it was made of tissue and punched the giant shark right on the mid-section. It let out a howl of pain as the fist drilled into its flesh before exploding into a cloud of miasma that sent its master, Rainbow Dash, flying backwards and slamming onto one of the duel arena stones. Her life points lowered to one thousand two hundred.

The ponies in the crowd were stunned; a few of the adults even having covered the foals' eyes. Mulligan gulped and shifted in place while Spike had both eyes wide like dinner plates and his jaw metaphorically on the floor.

"Not bad," muttered Rainbow Dash as she stood up. Her mane, tail and feather were completely messed up, yet her grin did not falter a bit. "Anything else?"

"Just a face-down card," said Rarity as she slid her trap card, Numbers Overlay Boost, into her disk. Would Rainbow Dash try to get rid of her Lead Yoke, be it by battle or effects, she would activate it and attach the Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna and Battlin' Boxer Rabbit Puncher from her hand to her Lead Yoke to use its effect again. "I end my turn."

"Draw!" Rainbow Dash looked at her newest card. "I'm sorry, Rares, but I'm going to end this right now," she declared firmly.

Rarity laughed softly. "Bluffing does not suit you, darling."

"Oh, I know," said Rainbow Dash with a smirk. "I play the Surface spell! It allows me to bring back a level three fish monster from my graveyard in defense position! Come back, Big Jaws!" The shark with oversized jaws leaped from out the miasma and curled itself. "Now I summon Spear Shark!" The newest monster was a crimson shark with golden fins. True to the name, its snout ended on a wicked looking, golden blade (1600/1400). "When my Spear Shark is summoned I can increase the level of all my level three fish monsters by one. You know what this means?" she asked, spreading her wings like a hawk dive bombing its prey. "I build an overlay network!" Both of her sharks jumped into the cloud of miasma. "XYZ summon! The king and scourge of the seas! Bahamut Shark!" The miasma spout like a geyser, revealing a monstrous shark with actual arms and legs, ending in long, black claws. It stood taller than Carousel Boutique, the six long fins on its back spreading like wings (2600/2100). "By detaching one XYZ material from it I can special summon a rank three or lower water xyz monster from my deck! GOD SOUL!" The Bahamut Shark's eyes glowed with an eerie light and from the miasma emerged none other than Number 47: Nightmare Shark. "You didn't think I had only one, did you?" Rainbow Dash teased.

Rarity did not reply.

"When my Nightmare Shark is special summoned I can attach one level three water monster from my hand to it as an XYZ material," Rainbow Dash said as she took the Shark Stickers card and placed it on her duel disk. "Now I'll detach it for a direct attack! Go Nightmare Shark! FINAL DEPTH HUNTING!"

Rarity's eyes narrowed as the Nightmare Shark dove under the miasma, becoming completely invisible. A couple of seconds later its tail erupted under her, sending her crashing right against the stone behind her. Her life points went down to zero. The stones stopped glowing and the miasma dissipated, taking the monsters away with it.

"R-Rainbow Dash is the winner," declared Mulligan.

"Rarity!" called Spike. The white unicorn stood up, shook herself and glared at Rainbow Dash. Then, both mares marched towards each other, fire in their eyes. One with a grin that threatened to split her face in two and the other baring her teeth like a Diamond Dog ready to strike. Both of their manes and tails gave the impression they had been galloping on the middle of a storm.

"D-Don't you think you should do something?" asked a yellow coated mare.

Mulligan glanced at the arena, then at the mare. "I-I would like to keep living for a while longer, y-you know."

Spike ran inside the arena but stopped as soon as Rainbow Dash and Rarity came face to face. There was a long moment of silence that not even the wind dared to break before both mares took a breath and composed themselves.

"Good game," said Rarity as she daintly extended her right hoof.

Rainbow Dash softly slapped her friend's hoof away. "Come here you," she said as she hugged her. Rarity blinked in surprise but quickly returned the gesture.

There was a cheer from one of the fillies in the crowd. Soon everypony else followed with their own cheers, whistles and stomps. Rainbow Dash basked in the attention, hovering over the arena, while Rarity tried to maintain an air of sophistication despite her disheveled state.

"Ah," Spike let out a breath and fell down on his rear. His tiny claws trembled and his whole body felt like if he had been carrying piles and piles of books all day. "I think…I'll stick to tables and chairs."

Ponyville bathed on an orange light as Princess Celestia slowly set the sun over the horizon. Two ponies and a baby dragon followed the dirt path towards the center of the town, exhausted but content.

"I can't believe you guys never told me about this," said Spike while spreading his short arms.

"I'm sorry, Spike," said Rarity. "We didn't mean to leave you in the dark, but Ponyville is such a small, quaint town that very little information regarding the competitive world of Duel Monsters reaches the ears and eyes of its inhabitants."

"That and you didn't ask," added Rainbow Dash.

Spike crossed both arms over his chest and frowned. "Yeah, but now you have to promise to teach me one or two tricks, okay?"

"Of course."

"Sure thing."

Their steps came to an end right before the Town Hall.

"It's been a delightful day, but I'm afraid this is where I take my leave," said Rarity. "I have to go home, sort out my groceries and take care of this," she gestured to her mane which had become flat and stringy. "…disaster."

Rainbow Dash snorted.

"You know, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity with a tone reminiscencing of a mother dealing with a stubborn filly. "A visit to the spa would do wonders for your appearance and, by extension, your dueling career."

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Maybe if you defeat me I'll think about it."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You bet."

Rarity smiled coyly, winked at Spike and walked away into the sunset.

"That mare never changes," said Rainbow Dash with a chuckle. "By the way," she searched between her wings and pulled out a pamphlet with her teeth. "I've gosh dish fo yu, Spik."

Spike had his back turned around; both eyes firmly planted on the direction a certain white unicorn disappeared a minute ago until a hoof slap on the back of the head brought him back. "What?! " he turned around to face a frowning Rainbow Dash. "Oh, heh, sorry," he mumbled as he took the pamphlet on his tiny claws. "What's this?"

"It's an updated list of the top twenty duelists in Equestria," replied Rainbow Dash.

Spike nodded and began reading. "Blue-Eyes Blueblood," he snorted. "Sky Captain Fancy, Raging Flower Cherry, Black Feather Gi—what's with these names?"

"Everypony earns sort of a title based on their play style or the cards they use," explained Rainbow Dash. "They can also choose to use their real names or just a nickname; it's kind of customary or something."

"That's why you didn't know Rarity was number four, right?"

"Yeah, I know a few of the ponies on that list, but most escape me," Rainbow Dash scratched her head. "It's not that it bothers me that much, I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if we get to gather at some point, so it's kind of a waste of time to worry."

Spike thought about today's duels multiplied by twenty and shivered a bit. It was scary, albeit exciting. He went straight to the top names. "Ice Maiden Papillon, Magic Hand Diane, Burning Knuckler Rareza, Holy Lightning Jacqueline—wait a minute, it says here the duelist ranked number two is Biting Gale Maylene," he glanced at Rainbow Dash questioningly.

The cerulean mare's expression turned sour. "Yeah, ignore that, will you? It's like, some kind of paperwork issue I'm still trying to solve, okay?"

Spike decided to leave it at that. "Galaxy Eyes Josephine…these are the top six," he mumbled.

"And one day I'll stand at the top," declared Rainbow Dash. "Best Flyer and Duelist! Yeah, I can get used to that," she giggled. "You should try polishing your skills, Spike. Who knows, you may end up becoming my number two."

The baby dragon gave a hopeful smile.

"Well, gotta go fast now! See you around, Spike!" and with those words, Rainbow Dash took to the sky with a mighty beat of her wings.

Spike looked at the pamphlet one last time before folding it and hurrying back home.

The sun had long set and now the sky was fully covered with Princess Luna's beautiful canopy of stars. The Millennium Mausoleum was closed for today and Mulligan was taking care of the last steps in his daily routine. He sweeped the floor, after telling a certain white stallion to stand up and go home, checked the registers, counted the bits and locked the front door. As he went to the back one, he took a minute to gaze pensively at the Dueling Arena. The monument stood in silence, the black stones that composed it would have been practically invisible if not for the light of the moon. "I swear you're going to increase my sales or send me to the hospital," he said and closed the door, failing to see the arena glowing red.

"HELLO? ANYPONY THERE? I'M IN EXTREME PAIN AND NEED HELP! YOUR HEAR ME, PEASANTS?! YOU PRINCE DEMANDS ASSISTANCE! AUNTIE LUNA? AUTIE LUNA ARE YOU THERE? PONYFEATHERS…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Wake up," his body kept saying over and over again. He knew it was true, that it was time to "rise and shine", but everytime he opened his eyes he saw only darkness. The howl of the wind didn't help either, not when it sounded more like a manticore growling in the distance.

"Twilight," called Spike tentatively. No answer. Of course. He wasn't living on a library built inside a large oak, sleeping on a basket next to her bed anymore. No, his home was now a large crystal castle with his own bedroom separate from her's.

Spike sighed. He hadn't seen Twilight since yesterday's afternoon; the purple unicorn was busy conducting, in her own words, "a little magical experiment", meaning he had to keep all the events that transpired on the Millennium Mausoleum, and his enthusiasm, to himself.

The wind howled again, louder. He hugged his small Rarity plushie. "No," he told himself. He was a dragon, one of the most powerful races in all of the Equestria. Moreover, he was the Princess of Friendship's number one assistant. Last but not least, he had a mission: to prepare breakfast; and no seemingly endless darkness or unnatural sounding wind would stop him.

Spike gently set his plushie aside, jumped out his bed and ventured outside his bedroom. Two rows of magically charged crystals flickered with white light, doing their best to combat the darkness that enveloped the hallways. "Twilight," he called again; at this point it was more of an attempt to calm himself than anything. The door to his bedroom dissappeared behind him as he kept walking, the wind having calmed down leaving only the sound of his footsteps…until he heard a hoof striking the crystal floor. "Twilight?"

It stroke again and again. Spike went from walking to running towards the source of the noise. "Twilight, what are-" the words choke on his mouth when he saw the pony emerging from the darkness in front of him. That long crimson horn, those predatory eyes, those wicked fangs and that mane swirling like a mass of tendrils. "K-King Sombra?!"

The shadow regent snarled and Spike, calling forth all the might of his ancestral race, ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. There was no sounds of hooves striking the floor, but the growling and snarling made it clear Sombra was right behind him. The baby dragon reached his bedroom and slammed the door close. "Okay, okay, there has to be—whoa!" A wave of black smoke burst the door open and sent Spike flying and slamming against his bed; he shook his head with a moan and saw King Sombra standing right under the doorway.

"Duel," he snarled.

Spike blinked. "W-What?"

"Duel."

"B-But we don't even have a Dueling Arena-"

"DUEL!" roared Sombra. His horn glowed red and a duel disk materialized around his neck. It was colored grey, with protrusions like spikes around the edges that gave the impression one could easily use it to bash an enemy in the head.

Spike looked around and spotted his backpack. He quickly launched himself towards it, retrieved his duel disk and hastily strapped it around his left arm. He had no idea why the tyrant that once slaved an entire race of ponies was challenging him to a card game, inside his home of all places, but he wasn't going to complain, not when this gave him better chances of holding his own.

Both drew their five cards and stood ready. "I-I'll go first," declared Spike and placed a card on his disk. "I summon Troop Dragon!" A bipedal, green winged dragon materialized in front of Spike, much to his surprise. It wore a leather armor and held a sharp looking spear in its claws (700/800). "Alright, how about this? The spell Dragon's Gunfire!" The dragon took a deep breath and spit a fireball that hit Sombra right on his chest, sending him backwards and lowering his life points by eight hundred (4000-3200).

"Whoa," mumbled Spike. Not only he was seeing a life points counter right above Sombra's head, but he also managed a sweet opening move. "I end my turn."

Sombra's nose flared. "Draw," he said and picked up a card with a flash of his horn. "Phantom King Hydride!" A humanoid monster clad in a silver armor and riding a large black horse appeared carrying a curved bladed sword (1500/300). "Attack! PHANTOM BLADE!" The knight charged forward and, with a swift slash, beheaded Spike's dragon, taking out eight hundred of his life points (4000-3200).

"I was waiting for that!" declared Spike. "When my Troop Dragon is destroyed by battle I can special summon another one from my deck!" A second dragon emerged, this one wielding a sword and a shield (700/800).

Sombra growled under his breath. "Turn end."

"Draw," said Spike and smiled upon seeing his newest card. "This is what I'm talking about! Monster Reborn!" The first Troop Dragon returned to the field with a joyous cry. "Now I tribute these two to summon my Red Eyes B. Dragon!" Both of Spike's monsters glowed and fused into a ball of fire from which emerged his favorite dragon (2400/2000). "Attack! BLACK FIRE BULLET!" The black dragon reared back and breathed a projectile of dark fire that vaporized Sombra's knight, complete with its steed, in the blink of an eye, costing him nine hundred life points (3200-2300).

"I can do this," thought Spike. "I end my turn!"

"Draw!" Sombra immediately placed a card on his disk. "Monster Reborn! Return my Phantom King Hydride!" The knight reappared at the command of its master. "I summon Gash the Dust Lord!" A humanoid figure appeared, it wore a ragged brown and grey robe which concealed most of its body save for both hands, tightly holding a black sword, and part of its face, a pair of glowing red eyes and a devilish smirk (1000/1200).

Spike's eyes widened as Sombra raised his head and started to chant with a deep, guttural voice. "The star of death that shines at the zenith of the heavens! Descend to the earth and make judgment upon the living! Synchro summon! King of Divine Punishment! Dark Highlander!" Both of Sombra's monsters disolved into particles of light and ascended upwards, making the ceiling shine like a starry sky. Then, the stars swirled, forming a portal from which a large figured dropped, shaking the whole room in the process. It was humanoid in appearance, like the previous two, tall as a minotaur and clad in a black and golden armor; it set its red eyes on Spike and lifted a gigantic scythe that looked sharp enough to cut an apple cart in two with a single strike (2800/2300). "I play these," said Sombra. "Mist Body and Darkworld Shackles!" A chain erupted from the ground and tied itself around the Red-Eyes Black Dragon's neck. The dragon roared and pulled, but its effort only served to reveal the large, black spiked ball with a grinning demonic face attached to the other end of the chain (100/100). Sombra licked his lips. "Attack! DEATH POLAR SLAY!" The Dark Highlander swinged its scythe towards the black dragon, which turned into a cloud of mist as soon as the edge grazed its scales. Still, it did not stop the shockwave that took out two thousand seven hundred of Spike's life points and sent his body rolling backwards (3200-500).

"I-I don't get it," muttered Spike as he struggled to stand up. "Why did he use those spells…?"

Sombra laughed thunderously. "Finish him! DEATH SEVERING!" The Dark Highlander raised its scythe and brought it down, destroying both of Sombra's equip spell cards and creating an eruption of dark energy that dealt eight hundred points of damage to Spike (500-0).

"I lost," thought Spike as he lay on the floor. He looked at Sombra, whom did not move but kept laughing. "Duel Monsters is not that fun when you play with guys like him," he thought bitterly. As he contemplated his fate, a high pitched voice interrupted the villanous laugh.

"Not so fast, King Spooky Smokey!"

Spike blinked twice. "P-Pinkie Pie?!

Pinkie jumped from the hallway, right over King Sombra and made three perfectly executed spins on mid-air before flawlessly landing on her hind legs, right next to Spike. "Hi, Spike!" she greeted casually. "I'll handle this so don't worry!"

With some effort, Spike sat and looked at Pinkie. A dark blue jacket hung around her neck like a cape and she wore a bright red duel disk around her left foreleg; all while still standing on her hinds.

Sombra gritted his teeth and growled. "Duel!"

"Lady duelists first!" said Pinkie with a grin. "I summon Fire Hand!" A strange mechanized monster in the shape of a glowing, red hot clawed hand appeared on the field (1600/1000). Pinkie extended her right hoof towards it and the monster responded by closing its fingers and giving her a thumbs up. "I also play two copies of Supply Squad and finish my turn!"

Sombra looked at Pinkie's side of the field and sneered. "Draw! Graceful Charity!" he drew three more cards and discarded two. Afterwards, he immediately played Monster Reborn to bring back his Phantom King Hydride and summoned Gash the Dust Lord. "Synchro Summon!"

Spike eyes widened as the Dark Highlander materialized once again, menacingly towering over Pinkie Pie. Her smile merely got wider. "You're going to need more than that to get the upper hand!"

Sombra snarled. "DEATH POLAR SLAY!" The Dark Highlander raised its giant scythe and charged forward.

"Counterattack!" yelled Pinkie as she pointed her right hoof forward. "Secret Pressure Point Technique Number One! Fatal Heatstroke Finger!" The Fire Hand launched itself and stroke the Dark Highlander right on the neck with its index finger, causing both monsters to immediately explode and vanish. A second hand, glowing blue and covered with frost, immediately took the place of the destroyed one as Pinkie drew two cards from her deck (1400/1600). Her life points went down by one thousand two hundred (4000-2800).

Sombra growled like an angry dog and placed two face down cards. "Turn end!"

"Alright!" cheered Pinkie. "Now I draw one card and-"

"Wait!" cried Spike.

"Uh? What is it, Spike?"

"What was all that you did now?!"

Pinkie blinked. "You mean my plays?"

"Yes!"

"You mean you don't know?"

"No!"

Pinkie giggled. "That's okay, Spike. You don't have to feel bad for not having firsthand knowledge of every single card; not when I'm here to give you a guiding hand!"

Spike rolled his eyes.

"When my Fire Hand is destroyed and sent to the graveyard I can destroy one of my opponent's monsters and special summon an Ice Hand from my deck," cheerfully explained Pinkie as she pointed her hoof towards her monster, which raised its thumb in response. "And when one of my monsters is destroyed my Supply Squad continuous spells allow me to draw a card from my deck. Pretty handy, huh?"

"That's…pretty cool, actually," admitted Spike. "But couldn't you have—you know, explained it like that from the go?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes and blew a raspberry. "Where's the fun in that?"

Just as Spike was about to reply, a voice erupted behind them.

"CALL OF THE HAUNTED!"

They both looked to see the Dark Highlander standing once again next to King Sombra.

"We'll talk later, Spike," said Pinkie. "I have to get my hands dirty," she added. "Attack, Ice Hand! Secret Pressure Point Technique Number Two! Fatal Frostbite Finger!" Her monster launched itself forward and stroke the Dark Highlander in the solar plexus with its middle and index finger, causing both monsters to vanish and Pinkie to lose one thousand four hundred points (2800/1400). "When my Ice Hand is destroyed I can pick and destroy a spell or trap card my opponent controls," Pinkie explained unprompted. "Plus I get to summon a Fire Hand from my deck and draw two cards thanks to my Supply Squad!" A second Fire Hand appeared next to her.

Spike stood dumbfounded. "She's got the upper hand…"

"I heard that!" said Pinkie with a giggle.

Spike slapped himself on the forehead.

"Now," said Pinkie with a smirk as she looked at the defenseless King Sombra. "Go, Fire Hand! Spicy Slap!" she ordered and her monster responded by slapping Sombra across the face two times in succession, lowering his life points by one thousand six hundred (4000-2400). "I'm not done yet! I play Magical Mallet!" she shuffled the six cards in her hand and drew the same amount. "Now that I control a Fire Hand I can special summon a Prominence Hand from my hand!" The monster was a golden mechanical hand, almost skeletal in appearance; it turned to its master and closed its fingers before lifting both, the index and middle ones, to form a letter V. "All hands on deck as I build an overlay network! XYZ summon!" Pinkie lifted her right hoof upwards and both of her monsters turned into balls of light, fusing themselves in a blinding flash. "Nothing will escape your grasp! Number 106: Giant Hand!"

Spike gaped as he saw the huge hand completely made of black rocks appearing above Pinkie Pie. Each one of it's fingers was encased in metal, ending on a sphere which opened to reveal a glowing rune that made it look like an eye (2000/2000). "I set two cards and end my turn."

Sombra howled, drew a card and immediately activated his face down trap. "Powerful Rebirth!" The Phantom King Hydride returned to the field with an extra one hundred attack points and its level increased by one (1600/400). Sombra normal summoned a second Gash the Dust Lord and started chanting again. "Rend the obsidian darkness! Scorch Heaven and Earth! Isolated absolute king!" The two fiends were engulfed by a tornado of flames. "Synchro summon! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend!"

The first thing Spike saw coming out were a pair of arms with large claws, followed by two huge leathery wings and, finally, a red and black dragon shattering the flames with a mighty roar. It was the first time after meeting with Tirek that Spike had seeing such a demonic looking creature, with the three curved horns adorning the top and sides of its head, and those piercing yellow eyes (3000/2000).

"Destroy it!" commanded Sombra. "CRIMSON HELL FLAME!" The demonic dragon reared back and breathed a stream of fire towards the Giant Hand.

"Pinkie!" shouted a terrified Spike.

But Pinkie Pie merely grinned as her monster spread its fingers and easily blocked the flames with its palm, sending a shockwave that made the dragon flinch. "I can detach two XYZ materials to negate the effect of a monster on my opponent side of the field! It's my Fatally Paralyzing Pressure Point Technique!" she declared loudly.

Sombra screamed in frustration. "Attack! CRIMSON HELL CLAW!" The demonic dragon spread its wings and charged forward, only for Sombra to watch in horror how it started to get smaller until it became half its original size (1500/2000). "It can't be!"

With a flick of its middle finger the Giant Hand made the Hot Red Dragon Archfiend vanish like a dust bunny and lowered Sombra's life points by five hundred (2400-1900).

"How do you like my Shrink spell, King Spooky Smokey?" asked Pinkie cheerfully. "I gotta hand it to you, you're not half bad. On the other hand, you're so focused on attacking you ended up overplaying your hand!"

"Pinkie Pie!" protested Spike while raising both arms over his head.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, then turned to King Sombra. "Are you done there?"

Sombra growled.

"I take that as a yes," chirped Pinkie. "Draw," she pointed her right hoof forward. "Go Giant Hand! Secret Pressure Point Technique Number Three! Five-Point-Iron-Palm-Descending-From-Heaven-Strike!"

The giant hand raised itself…and promptly squashed King Sombra (1900-0). The darkness that enveloped the room disappeared immediately, revealing the pleasant crystal architecture and leaving no trace of the confrontations that had just taken place.

"Well, I hope that wasn't too heavy handed!" said Pinkie with glee. She removed the duel disk from her left foreleg, carefully placing it on her back and went back to standing on her four legs. "Are you okay, Spike?"

The baby dragon ran and tightly hugged Pinkie with his tiny arms.

"Aww, there, there-"

"Wait!" cried Spike as he suddenly broke the hug. "Twilight! We-we have to find her and tell her King Sombra is back and trying to take over Equestria with a card games and-" his words were cut short when Pinkie jammed her special "calm down" cupcake on his mouth, with extra chocolate for additional endorphins release.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, you silly!"

Spike swallowed and licked his lips. "But-"

"She's right, Spike."

Both of them turned around to see a slightly dishveled Twilight, followed closely by Applejack.

"Twilight," said Spike with a smile. "But what do you-" he stopped and frowned. "Is this about that "little experiment" you were talking about yesterday?"

Twilight smiled proudly. "An holographic projection of an artificial intelligence taking the form of known figures, pre-programmed with behavioral patterns extracted from our previous encounters with them and strategies suited for their personalities and approaches to conflicts."

Spike stood dumbfounded.

"She means a dummy that plays card games, sugarcube."

Twilight frowned at Applejack, whom merely shrugged and smiled in response.

Twilight rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "Yes, it was part of my magical experiment for the purpose of improving the world of dueling. Can you imagine it?" she beamed. "No longer you will be limited to seeking arenas or other ponies to play with! You could do it all from the comfort of your home and play with whoever you wanted!"

"Like a black magic wielding, power hungry tyrant?" asked Spike drily.

Twilight blushed. "It's a work in progress," she confessed and smiled. "Which is the reason I called the number five best duelist in Equestria to test it."

Spike looked at Pinkie Pie. "Magic Hand Diane!"

Pinkie adjusted the jacket around her neck and turned her nose up. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. "Oh no!" she gasped. "I just realized I went all the duel without once telling him to talk to the hand!"

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "Yes-going on, the artificial intelligence activated before she arrived and went around the castle looking for an opponent until it found you," she pointed her hoof at Spike. "But, rest assured, I've already taken care of that little issue."

"Right," said Spike with no amusement on his face. "And what about you, Applejack?"

"Me?" asked Applejack. "Ah' just here to visit Twilight and look at her dummy thingy."

Twilight cleared her throat and looked at Applejack with a frown.

Applejack quirked an eyebrow.

Twilight raised both eyebrows.

Applejack lowered her chin.

Twilight lowered her's.

Applejack sighed. "I'm here to assist Professor Twilight in her personal dueling project."

Twilight gave a a toothy smile which prompted Applejack to cover her face with her hat.

Spike sighed. "I swear there are not enough gems in the world," he mumbled and began his journey to the kitchen.


End file.
